Those Country Boys
by BlackPetals23
Summary: *Sequel to That City Girl* Sam's finally in jail, Sonic's gone to New York, and Amy and Shadow are together now. Despite more turns in each relationship for the group, they'll need to pull our their wit and strength to band together and conquer new challenges when Amy, Shadow, and Sarah decide to fly to New York and meet Sonic instead of waiting for him to come home. ON HOLD
1. July Fifth

**STH © SEGA**

**Sarah © BlackPetals23. **_**Moi!**_

_**Here it is: the sequel to the notorious "That City Girl"!**_

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**Enjoy!**

**Chapter One:**

**July Fifth**

_Drip._

_Drip._

_Drop._

For the OCD hedgehog, the rain pattering on the windows in an irregular pattern drove her crazy. The storm only brewed overhead, though, and showed no signs in stopping.

Her glazy brown eyes stared out on the land that was getting drenched. The tiny seeds of grain rose out and made a bright green appearance on any tourists. Not like there were many in the tiny town of Sawyer, anyway.

Sarah sighed.

_But there are tons of tourists in New York._

Sonic had left that morning with a simple promise to be back as soon as possible. The blue hedgehog hurried off in his truck, leaving Sarah's car the only vehicle in the driveway—for now. Amy was coming over while Shadow continued to curse about the nonstop rain.

Ever since yesterday's short feud between Sarah and Sonic, the rain had started. No fireworks, no sunshine, and no outdoor events. Sarah wrapped the sweater around her and shivered.

_Did I turn on the thermostat?_

Her short term memory kicked in and she inwardly groaned. Some days, it was horrible. She felt like she was growing old and forgetting everything during the beginning of February. Thankfully, that feeling had subsided by the time Amy arrived.

Now, it was welcoming itself back into Sarah's life.

_Fine, keep me company. Sonic's gone and Amy most likely will be bored after the first visit if not the first hour._

Sarah stared at the clock. It was merely ten in the morning and the lime green hedgehog was already feeling lonely. By now, Sarah would've turned on the television and curled up with Sonic—where her only warmth was found. Even the heater in the house couldn't match his warmth. Frankly, though, Sonic had taken him and his warmth to New York.

Sarah frowned at her reflection in the window while the raindrops painted a canvas on the glass.

_This is gonna be a long rest of the month._

She wasn't sure how Amy was going to be capable of dragging it out, but, if the pink hedgehog could, Sarah was willing to try. Anything to keep her mind off the fact that Sonic would be gone more than a week. It wasn't a possessive issue—Sarah decided—it was more like a company issue. Sarah liked to be anti-social some days. But most, she preferred the silence between Sonic and her than the silence of her and herself.

_I'll have to make a list of things I can do. Go shopping, hang out with the girls, feed the animals, and read a book._

Sarah's eyes subconsciously went to the couch stand. There, on the medium dark wood was a book titled, "_The Three Musketeers" _by _Alexandre Dumas_. Sarah swallowed a heavy lump in her throat.

_Sonic forgot it…or intentionally left it._

She wasn't sure how Sonic was after yesterday's momentary spat. He seemed fine the rest of the day, but Sarah could tell she barely got a parting kiss. Something was on his mind. And it was bugging Sarah to death.

The sound of a car pulling up reassured her that she wouldn't be alone for too long. With a thoughtful and grateful expression plastered on her face, Sarah watched as Amy hurried inside to avoid getting too wet.

"Well, this should be fun," Amy weakly smiled at her.

Both saw that the other must've had a rough night. Sarah had bags under her eyes and Amy's eyes were bloodshot.

Sarah let out a heavy sigh. "I'll go pop the popcorn…"

~~~.~~~

Amy and Sarah huddled together with a brown blanket on top of them and a bowl of popcorn between them.

The rose hedgehog sighed. "First _The Notebook, _then _P.S. I Love You, _and now, _The Other Guys._ What's with the sudden change? I thought we were having a sappy-romance-movie-marathon-day."

Sarah let out a small smile while leaning on Amy's shoulder. "I need humor…and the tuna and lion part is always hilarious."

"Yeah," Amy cracked a small grin before it faded as another thought appeared in her working brain. "Sarah?"

"Hm?"

"Are you sure you can handle this? You know, being all alone for three weeks?" Amy whispered cautiously.

Sarah breathed out heavily. "I suppose I'll live, don't you think? Besides, if I get bored, either of us can just go down the road—we live right next to each other, now."

Amy nodded mentally. "Yes, but…You seem lonely even while I'm here."

There was no answer but the pitter patter of the rain splattering the roof. The soft breathing of both females filled the room amongst the shouts from the television.

Sarah blinked tiredly at the TV. "I guess it's just because I feel bad for what happened yesterday…"

Amy opened her mouth to respond, but she closed it almost instantly. She wasn't sure what to say. She'd never had to face the idea of having kids—hell, she wasn't even married yet. Amy fiddled with her fingers and bit her lip, searching for the best words to put in a phrase that would calm the lime green hedgehog to an extent.

But before Amy could open her mouth again, Sarah cut her off:

"He wants a baby, Amy…I don't do little kids…I can handle preschoolers, obviously, but anything younger than that is just too damn hard…I'm afraid of the commitment…all the screaming, the loss of sleep…Awful moment after awful moment…"

Amy stared at the carpet while the female talked.

"…but I know there's always going to be that one moment…that one moment that appears once in a blue moon…that moment that makes you remember why you did what you did in the first place. Kids yelling in the classroom and crying about wanting to go home…then, you endure it…the best part of your day. The time when the kids just relax and do something you know that is extraordinary…" Sarah's blank eyes stared at the television screen still while Amy's remained glued to the carpet, "…and worth being around…"

The rose hedgehog opened her mouth but Sarah beat her to it once again.

"And then awful moment after awful moment—but then, there's another extraordinary moment…and the cycle repeats itself. I guess I just don't want to have to go through all the responsibility. I didn't want to be married and have responsibility, but I realized I loved Sonic too much to let him go—and over such a silly issue. I was already taking responsibility the moment I walked out of my parents' house and into the real world."

She was silent while Amy started to run her fingers through her tangled quills. Amy sighed. "Then what's holding you back about having children?"

"I'm just not a kid person," Sarah stated. "They're annoying as hell and too much responsibility. Just let me gather my thoughts about being married, still, and then I'll get back to you about that kid issue…"

Amy took the hint that what Sarah said was what she wished to say to Sonic. The Mobian smiled at Sarah before leaning back.

"Are you going to call him tonight?"

"Nah, I'll let him settle in…he's…seemed like he's okay with going away for so long, Amy…What if I just screwed up our marriage?" Sarah whispered tearfully.

Amy tsked. "No, no, no, Sarah—Sonic would never leave you over such a situation. He would never pressure you like that and if he did, he'd have me to answer to, that's for sure."

Sarah cracked a small smile but it disappeared just as quickly. "If he wants to call me…I'll let him…but I'm not going to call him."

Amy swallowed deeply. "Are you sure?"

Her fingers still ran through Sarah's quills. The lime green hedgehog's eyelids drooped.

"Absolutely…" Sarah yawned before falling asleep in Amy's lap.

The pink hedgehog sighed once more and continued to slip her fingers through the soft quills. The television volume was turned down while the rain started to increase its force against the window. On and off that day, the rain continued.

Amy stared out the window while Sarah took her nap.

_Sonic...I'm afraid if you don't come home soon…Sarah will feel like everything's slipping away…_

Blinking, Amy yawned herself and thought of how nice a nap would be. She lied down beside Sarah on the couch, fitting their tiny bodies on the sofa expertly. Amy wrung the blanket around their bodies tightly in order to keep the warmth in.

_Sonic…You _have _to come home soon…If you don't…I'm not sure what we'll do._

* * *

_How was that for a beginner prologue? I didn't want to make it too extensive, so, I wrapped it up quite nicely in my eyes. It still shows what might happen in the future between Sarah and Sonic but I didn't bring anything up about the others just yet. That'll be possibly next chapter…no, third chapter. Third chapter, you can look forward to it. I'll be switching back and forth between Sonic in New York and the others for some time, so, expect that._

_Next chapter's release: June 8__th__ 2014_


	2. Stormy Weather

**STH © SEGA**

**Sarah © BlackPetals23. **_**Moi!**_

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**Review Replies:**

**_Link fan101: _Nah...I thought it was the thirteenth! Sheesh, I'll upload when I upload. Don't get your panties in a twist. Other than that, thanks for the first review. I can do without the second.  
**

_**Project Shadow:**_** Meant to PM ya...didn't. But thanks! **

_**xXDarkAngelKittenXx: **_**Yeah, these chapters are fillers and catcher-uppers. The story most likely won't kick off with a bang until chapter four...ish...****  
**

_**The Bad Wolf Girl: **_**Me either! Well..some parts of this chapter were fun to write.**

_**Christian Ape99:**_** I know _exactly _who are you...and no, I'm not putting any of your characters in my stories. **

_**Epsilon Team Sgt. Mike:**_** It was kind of sad, wasn't it? Poor Sarah, I just feel bad for Amy because she has to deal with Sarah! Haha! XD**

_**The Divines: **_**In truth, this chapter was done the...same day as the first chapter. And they were both done somewhere near the end of May. But, I'm trying to make time for other things and wean myself off of FanFiction so I'm not always on it. I'm already becoming more outgoing...technically. **

_**BladeDancer123:**_** Thank God you're here! I completely and utterly forgot! Again...I'm gonna write them in on the next chapter, I promise! Promise! Promise! Promise!**

_**MistyVoid48:**_** I felt like I should've made this chapter longer...you know, maybe put where Sonic was staying but I like the last sentence as an ender, so, this chapter is short. Just think, you don't have to wait as long for chapter three.**

_**aliciathewolf45:**_** Ironically, I didn't think of it that way. Then again, Sarah's still in fright. It's another conflict in the story between a character and another character. **

_**xcaliber234: **_**Thanks! Keep in touch!**

* * *

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter Two:**

**Stormy Weather**

_Couples argue. Some argue more than others. Arguing should be like a relief from all the lovey dovey nonsense…but, it isn't._

"We will now be landing."

Sonic listened to the lady's voice over the intercom. Her fake, plastic voice. He frowned and stared out the window of the plane whilst his partner, being an old man, merely grumbled and put his magazine away.

_I didn't mean to sound so blunt. I didn't mean to come off as rude. Now it's as if we're already drifting apart. Over a simple, stupid issue: kids. I should've known she wouldn't be into that situation just yet. She's still young. You're both still so young, Sonic._

"Do what your heart is telling you, Sonic."

Sonic's ears pricked up and he glanced down at his shoulder. A tiny, Angel Sonic reached his hand out majestically to the window.

Sonic wasn't sure if he was losing it or if the drinks had been spiked.

Could've easily been both.

_This is just weird…_

"Um…Excuse me?" Sonic whispered as to not draw attention to himself.

"When you get home, Sarah's bound to have thought over the situation clearly," Angel Sonic waved him off with a snort. "She always sees things your way in the end because she's tired of dealing with it."

"What do you mean by that?"

Sonic swiveled to his head to see the Devil Sonic.

_This is gettin' trippy…_

Devil Sonic stood proud on Sonic's left shoulder, his chest puffed out and his jaw turned into a scowl. "If she doesn't wanna fulfill your needs, find someone who will!"

_Okay, immediately blocking you out._

"Don't do that," Devil Sonic pleaded to Sonic's thoughts.

Sonic jumped a little in his seat.

_You can understand me in my head?_

Devil Sonic gave him a blank stare. "I'm you, dumbass."

_Right, right…so, you speak and no one hears you and thinks they're insane. I think and no one hears me and thinks I'm insane._

"Yep! Too bad Shadow couldn't figure that out."

_Wait, that's what he was doing?_

Sonic's eyes went wide while he stared at his imaginary mean self.

"Sure, he was going googley eyes for Amy," Devil Sonic made a swiping gesture in the air. "Woo wee! Man, did Angel Shadow get it on with Devil Amy."

Sonic cringed.

_I don't think I wanna know._

"Relax, they just flirted, making Angel Amy not too happy."

_So…Amy's been going through this, too? A little Angel/Devil time?_

Angel Sonic nodded. "Yes, they lost their minds over the love they had for each other."

"And I'm…" Sonic questioned out loud.

"Losing your mind over the fact that you and your wife had an argument," Devil Sonic put out his hands. "Oooh! Big deal!" he swatted down his hands while sarcastically speaking.

Angel Sonic shook his head. "Don't listen to that fool. That's the old you—a daredevil. You need to listen to me, the now you and the future you!"

"Hey, he can choose who he wants to be in the future!" Devil Sonic pointed at himself. "And he's gonna choose me when he sees how boring married life really is!"

_It can't be boring, it just barely got started._

Sonic watched them pause and sit back. Devil Sonic smacked his lips. "Sonic, ole pal, you had to run everywhere on Mobius—or you'd just get bored. You get bored easily, Sonic, and it's due to your lack of patience nowadays. Face it, you're gonna get bored with married life."

"That's exactly why you should go home and convince Sarah that having kids would be a fun adventure!" Angel Sonic exclaimed, throwing his heads up.

Sonic lulled the thoughts in his brain, on his tongue, and back to his brain. Could he? Could he convince Sarah? Kids would make the married life less boring. Kids were so different in their ages and different in their individuality.

_Kids…I want kids._

"Then keep in touch with Sarah and woo her!" Angel Sonic cheered while Devil Sonic merely rolled his eyes and folded his arms.

"It'll never work. You can't woo her into having children…Can you?" Devil and Angel Sonic looked up at Sonic who cast glances at both miniatures.

"Hm…" Sonic looked out the window as the rain pattered against it.

New York came into his view and so did the landing strip. He was about to set foot in the big city—somewhere he hadn't gone in nearly five years. After all the time in the country, could he handle this? Three weeks awake from the clear air? Three weeks away from the open country? The lonely roads, no traffic, or just the crickets at night—could he really say goodbye to all that for three weeks?

_Sarah? Can I release myself from her this long?_

Sonic whined at the window.

_Can I?_

Sonic sighed with his hands in his laps. The plane landed roughly, giving a slight bounce but Sonic was used to it. Most pilots didn't land it perfectly.

When they boarded off, Sonic knew that more than half the people were going _back _to New York. They knew their way around this place.

The blue hedgehog watched as he was pushed and shoved into different people. Carrying his laptop bag at his side and his suitcase at his heels, Sonic followed the crowd of New York people.

He was a fish in the sea with a bunch of other fish. And, oh, how he hated the ocean already.

* * *

_Ending this here. Next chapter will be longer and will hopefully kick this story into gear. If not, it'll show what's happening in each couples' relationship with scenes of Sonic settling in, and blah, blah, blah. How'd you all like the Devil/Angel debut again? Huh? They're starting to grow on me and it most likely won't be the last time we'll see them! _

_Welp, hopefully this chapter was grammatically correct...in most parts. Other than that, I'll probably not go over a mistake unless it bugs the crap out of me or if someone says something. Other than that, I hope you all are anticipating where this story is going to go. The summary tells you and foreshadows. The cover picture...well, I'll fix it...someday..._

_Release of next chapter: June 11__th__ 2014 *crossing fingers*_

_Arrivederci!_


	3. Move Along

**STH © SEGA**

**Sarah © BlackPetals23. **_**Moi!**_

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_**Review Replies:**_

_**BladeDancer123: **_*whistles* Fact checker! C'mhere! Haha! Jk, but I hope I've got most things straight, I dunno. I reread TCG awhile back and actually noticed a mistake…in the beginning I said Sarah hooked up Flame and Sonia…in the end I said Flame basically pursued Sonia and made no recognition whatsoever that Flame and Sarah knew each other before. Oopsies! XD I'm not fixing it though…I'm too lazy. *lazy smile*

_**aliciathewolf45: **_Yeah, hopefully Shadow hasn't lost his mind—I mean, both him and Amy are together now! So, maybe it'll be just Sonic that's kind of…out there.

_**TheDivines: **_None taken. I've started to put up the release date more for myself. It's kind of like a due date for homework. :/ I've gotta get it in. So, I'm pushing myself to actually write instead of procrastinate. I thought it was a good idea. :)

_**The Bad Wolf Girl: **_Yes, it does give you an idea of what's going on inside their heads—but also the persuasion must come in, ya know the good versus the bad. What's wrong, what's right—that sort of thing. Besides third person omniscient point of view, this is what I write so you know all the feelings of each character, the Devil/Angel thing kind of goes into more depth and really pulls out the character and how indecisive they can become.

_**xcaliber234: **_If you've noticed, most of my stories have short beginning and ending chapters. The rest are really long. I don't know why, but something in my brain just tells me it's a good place to stop. And I haven't regretted it yet.

_**werewolflover99: **_I think that was your name but whatever. If you paid attention to the author notes, you would know about the whole Angel/Devil thing. I suggest you reread chapter two and look for those sentences that will answer your question. Also, I'm not putting in Rotor. A) I have no clue who that is and B) I don't want to. He sounds like something from the Archies and I only borrow the main characters from the Archie Comics, i.e. Sally or Scourge. Even if he is a main character in yada yada yada land, he's not going to be in my story. So, please, stop asking if some character is going to be in my story.

**Link fan101: T**he only thing I've got to say to you is that a ten year old shouldn't be on this site—whether or not you're telling the truth.

_**BlackShit23: **_Obviously, you haven't read many stories. I must say…good name to describe yourself. I love flamers like you. You put the whole spice in the reviews. You actually make it worthwhile to write after so many reviews of 'I love this story!' yada yada yada. I really doubt you read the chapters, anyway, seeing as you reviewed That City Girl for once in your life—which I doubt you read the whole story. Strange…just when I'm taking a dig at a flamer for 'Moving On', which I deleted because of drama with the original's author, you show up and act the same exact way…Coincidence, my little flamer? Hm, whatever. But just so your pathetic ass knows this, no matter what you say, I'm still writing this story. You're not going to change my mind because you aren't me. So, flame, my little flamer. See how far it gets you in life—but no matter what, I'll always be miles ahead of you because I'm actually doing something productive. You? Pfft. You just choose to say rude, inappropriate things—but I guess that's standard for someone like you. I mean, you barely have two brain cells to rub together. It's probably the best you could come up with. Such a shame, I was looking forward to a decent flamer. But those are just so damn hard to find these days. Ta ta, my little flamer! I hope to see you soon!

* * *

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter Three:**

**Move Along**

The dust rose and made the white hedgehog cough.

"I thought we cleaned every corner of this house already."

Blaze only purred to her boyfriend's remark as she dusted along the inside of their new (more like ancient) house. The furniture would need to be replaced in some parts still and the walls were going to be painted as a summer project.

The bedroom and living room would get new carpet and the kitchen and bathroom would get new trimming and tile floor—much like Scourge had done with his home for Social Services and Child Protection Program. That was probably one of the reasons he was there sitting next to Silver on the somewhat-decent couch.

Scourge merely held Rosemary in place while covering her nose. She seemed to cough every time the dust rose towards her. She had breathing fits a lot and Scourge was dead set on the possibility that it was asthma.

"We're almost done with dusting and polishing the wood," Blaze motioned to the cupboards that shined due to the varnish.

"So…Why am I here?" Scourge murmured.

Blaze put her hands on her hips. "Your lunch date with Fiona can wait, Scourge. We need to think this through carefully and-"

Scourge cut her off by standing up, still carrying the squirming toddler in his muscular arms. He huffed and stepped outside before Rosemary could be put into another coughing fit. "Call me when I'm really needed."

Blaze snorted when the door closed. "The nerve of him…"

Silver smacked his lips and leaned back on the couch, sprawling out and putting his legs where Scourge had been sitting, "Really? I was thinking about thanking him."

Amber eyes turned to glare at her boyfriend but softened when they saw the white hedgehog put in a deep sleep. The last few nights were filled with hard work and sweat for that male, doing everything from dusting the chandelier in the kitchen to killing every spider Blaze was petrified at.

The feline put a blanket over Silver and looked around the small, comfy home. "It'll do…won't it, Silver?"

Her only answer was a soft snore.

* * *

"Looks like Scourge is back early," Knuckles said while staring out the window of their new home.

Across the street lived Scourge. Rouge and Knuckles, including the twins, all moved in across from Scourge when the old lady moved out to a Retirement Home. Rouge found it to be the perfect time—now, to make the house a perfect setting.

Keeping the twins busy was easy since Rosemary could wander off, whether with Petunia or not, and the boys would follow—something about making her the Queen of Alien Planet. They had yet to convince her to join in their space adventure.

Rouge had a headset on her head while typing away at the computer. Her boss was on the other line, all the way back in Florida.

"_I need those prints in by Monday. You think you could handle that?"_

"Sure," Rouge said after a glance around the box-infested house.

Around every corner lied a box that was yet to be unpacked. That was Knuckles' job—to unpack and made their home as homey as possible. He was doing quite well with it and the kitchen was the first thing cleaned and all shined up, making it Rouge's office for now.

The house had several bedrooms, two bathrooms and the kitchen hooked up to the living room. It was a larger, longer house than Scourge's, which was fine by Rouge. The twins would need all the space they could get, seeing as their front and back yard were somewhat small.

Knuckles shook his head at the white bat. He sat on the couch and stared out at the house across the street. Fiona walked out and greeted Scourge and Rosemary amiably.

_Hmm…_

There were times in the day where Knuckles could sit and think without being disturbed by either Rouge or the twins, not like he didn't like their company, but he sometimes liked his alone time. It was better than playing the King of some alien planet named Dorkis, or something like that, with the twins.

Yeah, his life wasn't getting any easier. Technically, he just stayed home with the twins, but they would be in kindergarten soon with Petunia. Not in the same school of course, but they would be out of the house.

Knuckles snorted while the trio across the street went into the house.

_I wonder how Flame's gonna handle that._

* * *

Ever since Cream moved in with Tails, her mother had nagged her about the rules. One specific rule was to not have unprotected sex.

Vanilla believed in being married first before the whole sex thing, but she was in the 21st century now and had to suck it up that her daughter and Tails probably wouldn't wait until holy matrimony to do the deed. So, she decided to at least not have any grandkids born out of wedlock. Cream was all for both rules. She had Sammy to babysit regularly.

Thankfully, Tails was always busy with government jobs. Only Sonic and now Cream knew what he truly did. Even Shadow didn't know. He created new inventions for the government. Though, Tails was sure that along the lines Sonic told Shadow about it.

His plane, the _X Tornado, _had become a big hit in the Navy. The Marines only really needed his firepower. He made exclusive spy gadgets for the FBI and CIA. Long story short, this fox boy was rolling in dough and the U.S. was becoming feared despite Koreans with their nuclear bombs.

Cream was amazed at how efficiently he worked in that homey basement of his. She soon claimed the stool across from the counter, and across from him, hers. Tails didn't mind the company; at least he could mutter out loud now and not question his sanity by himself.

Tapping her long fingers on the metal counter, Cream watched her boyfriend pluck away at metal for a machine gun.

"No offence, Tails, but aren't most of these weapons illegal in the U.S.?"

"My dear Cream, when you're Miles Prower the government gives you anything you need. Face it, I'm the rich boy and the government is like my rich daddy who spoils me."

Cream snorted. "Then why can't it be my sugar daddy?"

Tails glanced up with a somewhat possessive glare. "Did you even get a fund from the government?"

Cream slapped her hands on the table. "No! Can you believe it?! Everyone but Amy and I got money from the government! Can't we sue them?! I mean, c'mon! I put my life on the line as the distraction too many times!"

Tails was somewhat shocked and turned on while watching this new, outspoken, courageous Cream the Rabbit. Or maybe it was just his hormones.

"All in due time, my love, all in due time."

Cream huffed and sat down without saying another word. She plucked at the metal counter as if something pluck-able would be there. But it was merely to keep her entertained and to keep her mouth shut from all the things boiling in her head.

Yes, she still was sweet most of the times and had good manners—great manners, in fact. But there's always that time where things would just snap. She'd get angry or sad quite easily due to always keeping it in and Tails would have to learn to live with it.

But the couple made the best of it. They talked about everything—their past and present and even their future together. I won't stop myself from saying that it made Cream blush once or twice just thinking about Tails' thoughts on their future together.

The fox wanted to settle down in the next few years and start a family. He wasn't about to let Sonic have all the fun of being married. Though, due to all the upcoming couples in their gang, something told Tails that Sonic definitely wouldn't be the only one in the marriage life.

"Hey, Cream," Tails tranquilly spoke out while drilling away at a scrap of metal, shaping it in the machine gun that was yet to be done. "Can I ask you a personal question?"

Cream gulped.

_Oh, dear._

"Yes, Tails?" Cream squeaked and choked, trying to remain her cool posture.

Tails glanced up and cleared his throat. "Whatever happened to Cheese?"

Cream's mind halted and her body movements froze.

_What did happen to Cheese? Oh, I know that all too well._

"He-He died, Tails, a long time ago," Cream looked down at her palms in her lap.

"I'm sorry, Cream."

"It's okay. I-I…Technically, he never made it out of Mobius. Those last few weeks of getting people out were tough and I frankly ignored him when you guys needed my help, too…" Cream sniffed. "So, he left to go visit some chaos at the garden and…I never saw him again. I looked and looked and screamed and hollered. I looked under each nook and cranny but no Cheese was ever found. All the chaos were disappearing by this time."

Tails nodded. "So, you just assumed he…didn't make it out of Mobius?"

"I know he didn't, Tails. He would've came and found me."

"Huh," Tails huffed and went back to work.

Cream furrowed her eyebrows. "I wonder what happened to those from Mobius that we knew. Sally met Sarah in a one in a billion chance and started to date Peter…Amy told me what happened to Storm. Poor guy…Jet and Wave are finally together somewhere up in either Canada or Alaska, I don't know. I actually think Amy said a week ago that they went to New Zealand. But I can't remember for sure."

Tails nodded, just listening to her. That was how their day went really. By conversations, he meant that he listened most of the time and she would talk for the majority of the time—there were tiny moments when he would jump in and say something, but then he would go back to concentrating on his work and really just use Cream for her company. By but the end of the day, he still adored and loved her.

Cream piped up. "I wonder what ever happened to Omega…"

"The robot?" Tails' ears perked up by the way she said his name. What was so special about a robot to her?

_Easy, Tails. Love battles jealousy, you know that. Just don't let it get into your head._

Boy, he was turning more and more into the other guys (namely Shadow and even Sonic) by each passing second.

"Yeah…Huh…I never did hear if he made it out alive," Cream pondered.

"Go Google him," Tails scoffed jealously. "I'm sure that's how Amy did it with the others."

"That's a good idea, Tails!" Cream hopped up from her seat and ran up the stairs.

She shut the door to the basement and Tails was left alone. He was back to only having himself for company. To only having himself to question his sanity. And to only having himself to rant to about his useless jealousy.

* * *

"Shadow! I'm home!"

Oh, how Shadow had learned to love that phrase—especially when it was coming from his sweet lover's lips.

He hummed contently while watching TV. All he did today was minding the animals and checking the field. Now, he got to do what he did every year and just stay home before he had to irrigate the second time around. Then again, there had been water issues this year over a drought and every farmer had hogged as much water as he could—every farmer but Shadow, that was.

Amy dropped her purse on the white bench where the coats hung and where the shoes and mittens were placed in, inside the bench. She took off her flip-flops and plopped herself in Shadow's lap.

"How was your day?"

"Boring," Shadow grumbled.

Though, he had loved the idea of keeping Amy on the farm for as long as she would have him, he didn't like the idea when she wanted to go out and explore. Sure, Shadow could go adventuring, but he was content with this life style of living on a farm. Amy had just gotten so sick of going to town and being cooped up in the house that she needed a change. Now, she worked down at the diner where Sonic said they needed help. It was _Dixie's _or _Tractor Sales _and Amy wasn't about to become a mechanic.

"Did you miss me?" Amy patted his cheek and he responded by nodding. "Well, cheer up, mister, because it's Friday! Racing horses tomorrow, remember?"

How could Shadow forget? One, Sonic had gone to town to watch the race horses every year with him and Sarah and even Tails. Two, once Shadow had suggested it because the stadium had enough horses this year, Amy had barely talked about anything else since. She had seen the _Kentucky Derby_ and the _Belmont Stakes_ on TV every year.

"Yes, and remember that these aren't really professional horse races, Rose," he clung onto her tiny body. "These are just…normal thoroughbreds that never make it to the big times. It's like the minor leagues. I mean, there are race horses out there that don't go to the _Kentucky Derby _and such. It's like professional versus college. Understand?"

Amy nodded. "I understand Shadow, trust me."

"Good."

In truth, he didn't want to get her hopes up too high. The stadiums weren't anything to gawk at. They had a canopy over the newest part of the stadium which was made of cement but that was built somewhere in the 90's. The older benches without canopies and where you sat in the hot sun and got sunburned were made up of wood and spray painted green.

"Now," Shadow smacked his lips, "How about some dinner?"

"Nah, I ate at the diner."

_Again?_

"Is this going to be a regular thing with you?" Shadow questioned with a quirked eyebrow.

Amy smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Shadow, Glena lets me eat there and the food she makes is delicious. I'm just a waitress there from afternoon to closing time."

_And closing time is six._

Shadow scoffed.

_Easy, Shadow. You see her in the morning and spend that much time with her and then you see her in the evening. This is going to be a regular schedule. Get used to it._

No matter how much Shadow should've been used to it by now, he couldn't get used to it. He didn't like the idea of Amy leaving for New York, but hardly seeing her was still like the same thing.

_Hardly seeing her is better than not seeing her at all. Besides, you see her plenty! And she doesn't work on weekends or on Mondays!_

Shadow grumbled to himself while Amy was oblivious to his mood swings. Instead, she focused on the TV, but her mind was circling to another couple in the group that had yet to see the light.

Sarah and Sonic.

* * *

Sarah waited for Sonic to answer his _Skype._

They talked the night he arrived—neither could stay away for a mere seven hours, they decided. They always talked when he went on trips, but this time, it was different. She'd be using _Skype _more often.

While waiting for him to answer, seeing as they set up times to meet and answer each other's calls on _Skype_, she read or watched TV and sometimes even thought about drawing some more. More importantly, she tried to stay awake.

For Sonic, it would be about nine. For her, it was barely seven. Her sleeping pattern had been off from late nights worrying about nothing to staying up and reading. She'd gone to town the day after Sonic left and went to the bookstore. Long story short, Amy thought Sarah had leapt off the face of the planet because she didn't know where the lime green hedgehog had gone off to. But Sarah had comfortably sat down in a chair and started to read anything she could get her hands on.

Reading was a way out, she decided.

That or listening to music—which was starting to help her fall asleep. So, it probably wasn't good that she was listening to rain sounds on _YouTube. _She might've listened to regular music sometimes, but for some reason, the rain sounds just lulled her to sleep.

So, luck would have it that when she started to close her eyes, Sonic finally answered her call.

Sarah snorted and leaned up on the couch while turning down the TV volume. She answered the call and was greeted with a grinning Sonic.

"_Hey!" _Sonic cheerfully stated. "_You'll never guess what!"_

"Let me guess," Sarah yawned.

Sonic ignored her and said, "_A chairman from the board is planning on going to Canada to get our store more developed! Isn't that great? I mean, hey, once we get this place back on the maps, we'll be a little less poor than we are now. Then again, your job helps too. And the government fund," _Sonic chuckled nervously.

He stopped and stared at the sleeping hedgehog. _"Sarah?"_

Sarah snorted. "I'm awake!" She blinked and groaned, turning off the music.

"_Is it raining there?"_

"No," Sarah rubbed her eyes. "I was listening to rain sounds on my music."

Sonic paused. _"…I'm really confused if that was sarcasm."_

"That was not sarcasm," Sarah finished with a yawn.

"_Someone's a little tired, huh? Late nights with someone I need to know about?" _Sonic sneakily winked at her.

She rolled her eyes. "No, I just haven't been able to sleep as much."

"_Aw, just because little ole me ain't there?"_

Sarah shook her head oddly, "No and yes. I just can't _fall _asleep. Sometimes it's due to me reading too much."

"_Is that why I see a bunch of books on the stand?"_

Sarah turned to her left and then tilted the computer so he couldn't see the books. "No…"

Sonic sighed. "_Maybe I shouldn't be keeping you up, then."_

"Technically, you can't catch up on sleep," Sarah stated. "Remember?"

"_Yeah, yeah, but that doesn't mean you can't get some rest, ya tumor."_

Sarah wouldn't normally let the nickname/insult fly by. But she was so preoccupied with trying not to fall asleep that if a tornado went by the house, she would've missed it.

"How's New York?" Sarah changed the subject in hopes that would get Sonic off her back about her sleeping issues.

"_Crowded. More crowded than I remember."_

"You've been to New York before?" Sarah suddenly perked up. "Skyscrapers and waste water weren't good enough for you?"

Sonic scoffed and rolled his eyes. "_I liked the country and open space better, Sarah."_

"Hm, wouldn't anyone? What are those city people thinking? I mean, look at Amy. She's happy."

Sonic paused. "_How is everyone?"_

"Good. Oh!" Sarah perked up even more, much to Sonic's delight. "Guess what we're doing tomorrow?"

"_What?"_

"Horse races."

"_And it's gonna be the first year I'll miss them…all of them."_

"Yup. The whole month of July and you get to miss them. But they have one scheduled in August, if you wanna go when you get back?" Sarah asked, full of hope.

Sonic shrugged. "_I don't know…I was never good at those types of things. Could never bet the right horse to win and yet you looked at a horse and said they would win and walla—they would triumph over the rest or come pretty close."_

Sarah smiled. "It's a gift."

Sonic turned to the screen from his apartment room. He was happy to see Sarah a little happier—but he wasn't about to bring up the baby issue just yet. He was going to woo her, just not yet. Eventually, he'd convince her, he decided. He just had to let her get some space and think about it for several days.

"_Well, you have fun and tell the others I said hi."_

"Sure, sure," Sarah waved him off. "But tell me, where are you staying at? Doesn't look like a rundown place to me."

"_It's not_," Sonic let out a quiet chuckle. "_An Irish family owns this tavern-like place called _'Luck O' the Irish'. _Cheesy, much?"_

"Just a little," Sarah giggled. "But I do like your Irish accent. You sure you aren't of decent?"

"_One hundred percent Mobian, babe_," Sonic winked.

Sarah hummed. "That'll be weird…"

"_What?"_

"Our family tree will be a long line of Mobians to Americans," Sarah laughed and slapped her leg. "Hell, it already is with Sonia's kids, isn't it?"

"_That's more like her _side _of the family tree. _Our _side of the family tree is still Mobian."_

"Hm…" Sarah only hummed happily and that left Sonic to contemplate deeply.

Was that happy hum a good sign or a bad sign?

Sarah jumped in her spot and repositioned herself. "So, this tavern is like an apartment, too?"

"_Up on top, above up the pub, yeah," _Sonic stated.

The female raised her eyebrows, "Oh, the pub, eh? Gettin' tipsy and dancin' with your fellow lassies, are we?" Sarah gave her best go at an Irish accent.

Sonic shrugged. "_Last night I did the hokey pokey with a Mobian about seven feet. He and I were completely different and the relationship didn't work out at all. He was way too good at the hokey pokey for a drunken man and I was a terrible one. But I got to bed, safe and sound. Him? He had to walk a few blocks; he told me when we were sitting at the bar."_

The whole story made Sarah go into a fit of giggles. Sonic didn't think she would've laughed as hard as she did. "_Sarah? You okay?"_

"Oh-Oh! I just had the image of you and some guy trying to do the hokey pokey," Sarah squealed and kicked her feet, minding the computer. "It's too funny!"

"_I've never seen you laugh this hard about much and trust me, it took a lot to make you almost cry when you laughed…You sure you're okay?"_

Sarah waved him off. "I'm more tired than I need to be, Sonic, but you've brightened my day. Thank you and I love you."

Sonic at least beamed at this. He was making progress. He leaned forward and was ready to close out but not before he said, "_I love you, too, Sarah."_

With that, Sarah turned off the laptop and simply curled up on the couch where her woolen blanket from Sonic was. She cuddled up to it and her pillow before falling fast asleep. Sonic, on the other hand, stared at the closed computer on the desk of his apartment room.

He had a look around the bland place before deciding to head downstairs where men and women were celebrating or drinking their sorrows away. He wasn't quite sure what his emotions were. He just needed a drink.

And maybe tonight, his hokey pokey buddy wouldn't be there.

* * *

_Finally some long chapters ahead of me!_

_Sadly, I'm not giving out a release date for the next chapter. Instead:_

**Release date: Check profile and read it. **

**Note: Some readers I PM might want to read further down on my profile, too. **

_*Amy's got a job at the diner now, Cream speaks of Cheese finally (_THANK YOU, BLADEDANCER123!), _Sarah's gone humpty dumpty on her sleeping schedule and even I don't know what I just said, and Rouge has gotten her job at home. Now, maybe Knuckles should get a job…Hmmm…_

_Anyway, the next chapter will be about the racehorses—hopefully a longer chapter, too! I'm going to have fun writing this one! But sadly, I'm also losing the inspiration to write! Ugh! I've learned the difference between not wanting to write and having writer's block! Curse both at the same time! Hehe!_

_We'll evolve more around Sarah's crisis probably and I'm guessing that's going to be the main problem for the story besides one more issue that will arise in New York. Just you wait for it—it's going to be more sick and evil-minded than Samwell Turner from _That City Girl_…*evil smile*_

_Arrivederci!_


	4. Bet On It

**STH ©**

**Sarah, Rosemary, Mike, Belle, Benjie, Lewis, Gina-Marie and Ellie belong to me, BlackPetals23.**

* * *

**Review Replies:**

**Anonymous: **No, he's fully committed to Sarah at this point—I mean, he's still got plans in trying to woo her, or at least convince her, to have a baby.

**Werewolf99: **The only reason people see Sally as a bitch is because of one word: SonAmy. SonAmy lovers use Sally as a cold, mean hearted person so Sonic will end up with Amy—because Sally marries Sonic in the Archie comics and they have two kids. But, no, in truth, Sally Acorn is an independent, kind woman. It's time to bring back that old (and very true) Sally Acorn, in my opinion.

**The Divines: **Just wait—I've got a new plan for Omega. My original plan was just say he joined the Army, but then I got to thinkin'…*evil smile* Don't worry, he's not going to be a bad guy.

**xXDarkAngelKittenXx: **What problem would you be talking about? -The next crisis and main turn of the story that's going to take place in New York? I'll give ya a hint—it's ain't gonna be pretty. And yes, Tails is acting childish but if you ran out of ideas because you've got writer's block during some parts in the chapter, I'm sure you would've written close to the same thing. But seeing as Omega will be put into this story…*laughs evilly* Oh, boy, do I have a moment between Omega and Tails in mind…

**link fan101: **Please, if you're not going to say anything about the story, don't say anything at all. I don't need weird reviews talking about 'peanut butter' and 'Pikachu'. It's not my thing and wastes my time—not only offending me and also losing my respect towards you.

**~~~.~~~**

**TheRaven: **Please check my profile and look under 'Misery Severity' and 'Agent Dolly' from my Hall of Encounters—they are the last two on the list. And please, don't just assume like everyone else. And next time, think before you speak—er, write.

* * *

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter Four:**

**Bet On It**

Amy stared at the program of Dusty Downs. Dusty Downs was the name of the rodeo arena/racetracks in town. The program in her hands was for the racehorses, naming each race and each horse—she got that much.

What were beyond her were all the other markings and words. There she sat in the sun on the green, wooden benches because Shadow never took the canopy where all the people sat. Out on the benches, no one but their giant group was there.

Shadow leaned over and smirked. "Need help understanding the program?"

Amy only nodded. The ebony hedgehog sighed and turned it to the first page where it explained everything. "The number is the program number for wagering purposes. The color is simply the color they are out on the tracks. The P.P. 1 is the post position the horse is in the gates. Okay?"

Amy nodded again before pointing at the rest of the page. "What's the rest of this?"

"Those are more for people who are pros," Shadow motioned his head over to Sarah who took a seat by Mike and Belle. "See, Sarah just guesses and gets it rather close. But, I believe she's just lucky."

"Ha," Amy snorted. "I thought you weren't into the idea of luck."

Shadow leaned closer. "I got you, didn't I?"

He got a peck on the lips as response.

"WHOA! WHOA! I'm not here to watch the 'Shadow and Amy' show, okay?" Silver's voice carried from the top of the bleachers.

Shadow could only glare back. "Then why don't you make out with Blaze, I mean, you two are in the very back."

Silver put his hands out. "Hey, this way, I won't miss anything."

"Please," Belle grunted. "You thought you'd be a pro at bowling—I don't see why you need one of the best seats for race horsing when the only thing you'll be good at is stuffing your face full of food."

Mike gaped at his girlfriend. "Belle! Who are you and what have you done with my sweet, kind, and innocent girlfriend?"

"Hey, Belle," Silver shot back. "By innocent, does he simply mean another synonym for sweet and kind, or is he talking about your virginity?"

Belle coughed up her water. Silver clapped his hands. "You ain't any virgin—I knew it!"

Amy rolled her eyes and went back to the program. Knuckles and Rouge were right behind them while the twins played with _Hot Wheels. _Petunia and Rosemary were assorted near their respected parents down two rows. Flame leaned back and his crazy quills almost hit Shadow's leg. Sonia was leaning back beside her spouse while holding Jeffery. Scourge and Fiona were busy discussing the program and the horses of the first race that had yet to be shown still.

Tails and Cream were behind Sarah, Mike, and Belle—who were situated on Amy and Shadow's right not too far away. Silver and Blaze were already expressed to be at the very top. The rest were somewhat in the middle or the near top. Sunny and Manic were sitting on Amy and Shadow's left, two rows above Knuckles and Rouge, though. The group was somewhat spread out in their seating arrangements.

"Okay, ladies and gentlemen, the horseraces at Dusty Downs is about to begin! Get ready for race number one, the horses will be shown in five minutes!" the announcer's voice in the box under the canopy, but literally above everyone's head, boomed out while the trumpet sounded.

"They've got a good trumpet player this year," Tails noted, making small talk.

Shadow only agreed by nodding as he leaned back, his mountain of quills resting against Rouge's legs. Knuckles cleared his throat and got a wave of Shadow's hand as an answer.

"Shadow?"

"It's fine, we were partners," Shadow waved him off again as he looked down past the winner's circle and to the paddocks where the horses would soon be entering the track from.

Rouge and Amy only giggled and Knuckles rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath. The twins were too busy playing with their toys to even notice their caretakers or the horses.

"That was the fastest five minutes of my life," Mike mumbled while the horses trotted out.

The announcer's voice shushed all as the horses' coats gleamed and yelled 'purebred thoroughbred' across the tracks.

"Here's number one, ladies and gents. _Cee Me Shine! _This two-year-old black filly is owned by John Capper of CapperTrails. This horse is ridden by Hernandez Guatoli and her odds are five. Number two is _Asian Bride! _A two-year-old filly ready to run at the odds of 9/2—she will be ridden by Frank Briones. Here comes number three, _Nimu's Knight. _At odds of 6, this sorrel gelding is steady with his head thrown back in a lazy posture!"

The crowd laughed at number three, who strutted around like he owned the joint. Sarah shook her head while Silver whistled.

"That's who I'm betting on!"

"Silver!"

"What?"

"Normally, Silver," Shadow turned around to the white hedgehog. "You don't tell people who you're betting on. It's like telling someone who you voted to be President."

"Myself."

"Huh?" Blaze raised an eyebrow at her boyfriend. "Please tell me you did not…"

"Write my name on the ballet and stick it in the box for good laughs?" Silver shrugged and leaned back. "I'll never tell."

Knuckles shook his head. "Besides, number two is better looking."

"Number two is the judge's guess for third place," Sarah stated, glancing at her program.

Shadow took a glimpse of the lime green hedgehog. "And what do you say?"

He waited in response. It was nice to get tippers from Sarah—hell, if she told him or Sonic what horse she believed would win, there wasn't a doubt both would bet for that horse. She just looked at it and guessed.

Sarah shook her head. "He won't make above the third place marker. Six will beat them all. Look."

Riding up along behind number five, _Game On_ trotted and snorted. The gelding threw his head up and hit the horse's neck next to him.

Shadow only looked at the muscular, skinny, and very tall thoroughbred, whose brown coat gleamed in all the sorrel or black coats out there. Amy raised her eyebrow. "Him?"

"The judge thinks he'll win, too," Sarah said. "Then they put four as second and one as fourth."

Granted, she wasn't right all of the time, but Sarah was pretty close. Shadow turned to her. "What do you think?"

Sarah glanced at him before she snorted. "Ask your girlfriend; don't use me to get money."

"I'm not stripping just yet," Shadow playfully put his hand out, causing the female to laugh. "I'm just asking an honest question."

"I thought we weren't supposed to tell our bets!" Silver called from the back.

Shadow ignored him but put on his blank stare. Sarah turned around this time. "Silver, if you're going to be like this today you better shut your mouth or go somewhere where you'll be accepted. I don't bet."

Silver piped down and Blaze only purred at his pouting face. The hedgehog would soon bounce back, she knew it. But even his comments could drive her up the wall.

"Sarah…C'mon," Shadow tried to coax her. "C'mon."

Sarah shook her head with a laugh before motioning her head to the last horse, number seven. "I'd pick six or him."

Shadow glanced at the different horse. He was gray and a two year old colt, whereas the others had been either fillies or geldings. His legs were long and his body wasn't skinny but it didn't scream 'fat' either. Shadow smirked. "Him or six, huh?"

"I'd say it'd be close," Flame joined in. "There's definitely something about him that kind of shows he's ready to prove all the judges wrong."

"That and he's ready to run," Rouge stated while nodding her head.

It was silent for a minute or two before Shadow stood up and started to walk down the bleachers. It was a short race and the gates were closer to them than the canopy people, but it was still down there quite a ways. The horses had 220 yards to run this race so it would be a short race.

"I'm gonna go bet. Anyone want a beer?" Shadow asked.

"I'll take one," Flame called. "It's early and I'm ready to drink."

"It's almost one o' clock," his spouse snorted while Jeffery pulled on her necklace.

Flame cooed at his son before staring blankly at his wife. "Both ways, I'm with you and that proves something."

"What does that prove?"

Sonia looked him dead in the eye. He could only smirk as he said, "That proves I'll need a drink."

She whacked him in the shoulder and ignored him while he continued to watch his son torment her. Jeffery put the necklace in his mouth like he did to all shiny things. His Mohawk was up again and he was wearing light clothes due to the hot weather.

Flame watched him intently while Petunia and Rosemary were enjoying each other's company a bleacher below them.

"Mommm…maaa," Jeffery hummed out.

Sonia grinned and cooed at her son. "Are you saying Momma?" She held him up a bit more in her lap before nuzzling their noses.

Jeffery squealed and clapped his hands—the necklace out of his mouth but still in his grasp. He squeaked as Sonia attacked him with kisses to the cheek.

"Momma!"

Flame could hear Rouge and Blaze whispering to one another about the 'overwhelming cuteness'. Amy was giggling and so was Cream and Sunny. Belle and Fiona didn't seem to notice, but Flame took one glance at Sarah and saw her staring intently at the baby, but no emotion in her eyes whatsoever.

She promptly looked away when their eyes met.

Flame frowned.

_What's up with her?_

_Oh…Wait…the baby thing._

Flame hummed.

_Maybe she should talk to someone about it. A baby isn't that bad. Sure, I was scared that I'd be a terrible parent but Petunia turned out fine._

Just then, Jeffery sneezed and a long string of snot came out of his nose. Sonia tried not to gag while Flame grimaced at his son.

_Jeffery on the other hand is…well…_

He watched his son reach to play with the gross substance.

…_He's not all there just yet._

~~~.~~~

By the third race, Sarah knew if she had been betting, she would've had at least half her money back.

She just never bet because she saw that the whole betting thing was really just a rip-off depending on how much you bet on the winning horse and if you even own at all. She was more of a frugal person. And she was too busy caught up in her own thoughts.

She dismissed herself from the group and wandered into the sheltered seating—well, underneath it where the stands were placed inside, under the canopy. People had to climb stairs to get to their seats. The betting booths were under the seating too. Policemen stood watch and the television showed the horses of race four being showed.

She walked over to the food stand with the money Mike had given her. She had asked if anyone wanted anything while she went and got some food and Belle had wanted a hamburger. Sarah wasn't sure what she wanted as she stood in the long line.

"How's it going?"

Sarah turned around to see her brother, Lewis. "Hey! Good. How are you and Poppy?"

"Up in the canopy seats with her parents—they're alright. I mean, her dad's way cooler than our dad and her mom's, like, super nice," Lewis went on before stopping to see his older sister was out of it. "Hey…you okay?"

Sarah droned. "Hm? What? I'm fine."

"You're out of it, Sarah, you're never out of it unless you're overthinking things," Lewis sighed. "And then that leads to the depressed Sarah that your friends probably haven't seen. Then you lock yourself up in your room and stay there for days without eating or drinking anything and then—you die."

Sarah blankly stared at him. "I do not do that."

"No," Lewis chuckled as the line moved up a bit. "But you will if you don't let it out."

"Let me guess, Poppy's mom is a therapist."

"Guidance counselor," Lewis nodded his head. "She's been speaking words of wisdom to Poppy and I. Mostly about our relationship."

It was silent before her brother nearly stepped on her heel. "How's Sonic?"

"Um…He's fine, I guess. I talked to him last night."

"Oh?"

Sarah scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Lewis…if I could take it back, I would."

"Take what back?" Lewis questioned.

Sarah sighed and closed her eyes. She shook her head. "He just wants a baby."

"And do you?"

She sometimes hated how her brother was so blunt with her—but she knew she would've asked the same thing if the roles were reversed. They were a forthright family full of thick skulls.

"…I don't know anymore."

"What do you mean? It's a baby. You either do or you don't—you shouldn't be indecisive about these things. Hell, I'm sure it's your indecisiveness that kind of provoked you two to disagreeing," Lewis stated with a shrug. "But…that's just you. You could never make up your mind about serious things. You drove Dad nuts just by choosing whether you wanted to go to town or not."

Sarah laughed a little before the line moved up again. "Lewis…I'm just…not sure I'm ready for all that…"

"Responsibility?"

"Yeah."

Lewis scoffed and Sarah stared at him like he was asking for it. He put up his hands in surrender. Sarah was up in line and ordered Belle's hamburger. Lewis soon ordered his food and the siblings met eye contact. They glanced away from one another before Lewis cleared his throat.

"Not thinking in the near future, or anything, but would you want a baby with Sonic?"

Sarah thought about the question. She hadn't really thought about it that much, only the near, near, near, near future. Did she want to have Sonic's baby, ever?

"I don't know," she whispered while getting Belle's food and Lewis getting his not a second later. "I'm just afraid I'll be a terrible mother. I think that's what's holding me back so much. I don't think I'm emotionally ready to be a mother."

"Emotionally ready?" Lewis mulled the words in his brain before nodding his head, "Makes sense. I mean, Benjie was held back in kindergarten because he wasn't emotionally ready."

Sarah laughed a little louder at the memory. Lewis sighed as Sarah put everything Belle ordered onto the hamburger. "Maybe we're just a family who doesn't really look into a situation emotionally…so…when we're forced to, we're scared because we don't know how else to react. Does that make sense?"

Oddly enough, it did to Sarah. She nodded her head a little before her little brother continued while he covered his hot dog in ketchup and held his soda in his other hand once he was done.

"So, maybe, if you thought about it more and actually just accepted it—you won't be indecisive about having a baby."

"How can I think about it more without it terrifying me, Lewie?"

Lewis shrugged and started to walk away from her. "I don't know…I guess, that's just what you have to figure out on your own."

Sarah let her brother's words of wisdom sink into her mind before she heard the buzzer and the horses were out of the gate. She hurried back to the stands with the words still tugging at every nerve in her brain.

~.~

In the betting booths, Knuckles and Benjie stood talking together.

They watched the horses before the race quickly ended, not being one of the long ones. Benjie turned to Knuckles. "You owe me five bucks now."

Knuckles grumbled while he took out his wallet. "So, how's the girl?"

"Which one?" Benjie scoffed and motioned to Gina-Marie and her daughter. "Ellie's got me wrapped around her finger."

"She is cute," Knuckles commented.

Benjie nodded his head in agreement as the little girl's eyes hit his and she lit up, pointing at him and trying to get her mother to go over to Benjie.

"Are you two official now?"

Benjie shrugged. "I don't know. I'll ask her when the time's right. I just think I should wait for a little, ya know? She's got school debts and a kid. I'm just trying to help her out."

Knuckles chortled. "While making out with her on the couch—I heard from Lewis."

"Yeah," Benjie chuckled while a blush hit his cheeks. "I can't help it, though. Gina-Marie is just so captivating and Ellie is the cutest little kid I've ever met. Her father doesn't even care about them, just knocked Gina-Marie up for the sex—wasn't even his intention to be a father."

Knuckles shook his head, "Asshole." Dating Rouge and being there for the twins, Knuckles despised any man that was more sex driven than anything. A man like that didn't deserve shit until he got his life re-evaluated.

"Amen," Benjie scoffed. "But Gina-Marie's dated plenty of men since then, only a few dates with each but apparently…I've stuck out the longest."

"You're older."

"So?" Benjie rolled his eyes. "What does that prove?"

"It proves that you're more mature than the ones she dated. You're out of school and Gina-Marie has a year left, like you said. She's gone to college for, like, almost eight years and has a kid. She's mature too, and all she's wanted is a suitable father for Ellie—you can see it in her emotions and expressions. You're more than ready to settle down, you show it too easily."

"I do?" Benjie worriedly asked. "Oh, God, what if I give her the wrong idea? I mean, sure, marriage wouldn't be bad, but not right now. She's got so much going on. I want to get to know them better before settling down with them."

"Haven't you already moved in with them?" Knuckles eyed the hedgehog whose face flushed once more.

"So?"

"So, you're doing everything right. Gina-Marie trusts you. Rouge got it out of her."

"Really?" Benjie lit up. "What'd she say about me?"

"Only that Ellie really adores you and actually likes your company. A few other things, but, eh, they didn't make Rouge awe like that one did."

Benjie rolled his eyes. "Of course, Rouge is a mother."

"Yeah…" Knuckles stared off into space.

"Which reminds me," Benjie trailed off.

"What?"

The brown hedgehog glanced around. Gina-Marie had noticed him but went back to waiting in line for food with her daughter at her hip. Ellie kept trying to get Benjie's attention and Benjie was trying hard not to just ditch Knuckles and hold the toddler.

"Do the twins know what happened?" Benjie inquired. "I mean—that…you're not they're father…some douche is."

Knuckles shrugged. "We've told them that I'm not their real father, but they don't care. We've told them that I was there since Rouge was pregnant with them, but they don't care. We've told them we're just dating, not married or anything, so I'm not really their adopted father anyway…"

"And?"

Knuckles chuckled as he stared at the floor. He glanced up at Benjie before saying, "They said it didn't matter if we were married or not. They already saw me as their father."

Benjie smiled while they looked away. "Are you going to propose to Rouge?"

Knuckles gave him a weird look and Benjie laughed. "C'mon, all the girls are talking about."

"I don't know," Knuckles stared at anything but the male hedgehog. "I want to but…we've just barely moved into our new house. The twins are going to be off to school in August…I'm not sure right now is the right time."

"Just because you propose now doesn't mean you get married a month later," Benjie chuckled. "Some wait three years for their marriage to even happen."

"Well, that's too long of a wait," Knuckles joked in a serious tone. "I want to."

"Then do it," Benjie urged. "You two have been through thick and thin together. You've known each other for a _long_ time. If anything, this will only strengthen your guys' love for each other. Plus, it'll probably make the twins happy—though, it's not like they aren't happy already."

Knuckles nodded. "I'll think about it. I want it to be perfect for her. Something that really resembles us. Something like a…inside joke. I think those make for the best romances."

Benjie nodded and stared at Ellie again who was now looking at him intently and waiting for him to come over. "Okay…just…don't wait too long. She might think you'll never marry her," he teased and sauntered off to Ellie and Gina-Marie.

Knuckles watched Benjie coo and play with Ellie, holding her while Gina-Marie gave her up. The mother grabbed their food and smiled at the two lovingly. Ellie chose to clasp Benjie's nose and smile the biggest smile Knuckles had ever seen.

The red echidna grinned softly, the grin playing at the corner of his lips. He wanted to marry Rouge and possibly have kids of his own with her. It didn't matter if she didn't want kids, however. He'd respect that.

Besides, the twins would be enough for him.

* * *

"What? Did he just jump off the face of the planet? What do you mean _Google _didn't have him?" Blaze asked Cream with a look of uncertainty.

"I know! All they had were news articles of him helping us in the war years ago," Cream stated. "Omega wasn't in anything recent. It's like he's just gone."

Tails rolled his eyes and mumbled something incoherent under his breath. Silver was too busy eating his hot dog to notice. The horses for the fifth race were being loaded into the gate and Cream had sparked up a conversation with Blaze, moving to the top. Tails had followed her just by instinct but soon regretted it once he figured out the conversation was about Omega.

_There's nothing special about a robot, Cream. _

"He's artificial—he's unimportant," Tails said out loud by accident.

His eyes widened when he realized that. Everything got silent and everyone chose to stare at him. Cream raised an eyebrow. "So? He was still a friend who helped us out."

Shadow was the one giving him glares. "_I'm _artificial. So…"

Tails was shaking his head rapidly while sitting up. "No! I didn't mean it like that, Shadow!"

"I'm unimportant?" Shadow raised an eyebrow at Tails. "What's so wrong with being artificial?"

"You're _what_?"

Shadow turned to Mike. "Artificial. I was made on the ARK in space over fifty years ago."

Mike shivered. "So…You're…Like, fifty?"

Amy was staring into space before she stood up and started hyperventilating. Sarah stood up and rubbed her back. "Amy?!"

Shadow's attention was on her. "Rose?"

"You…You're immortal, I just completely forgot this entire time!" Amy wailed. She turned to him and stared deeply into his gaze. "Physically, you're Sonic's age but chronologically you're over fifty. Shadow, you'll never age—you'll never die."

"You're…WHAT?!" Mike screamed. "Immortality isn't real, though."

"Shadow was artificially made," Tails said. "By a doctor related to Doctor Eggman. Shadow befriended the doctor's granddaughter, Maria before the ARK was attacked. The soldiers were sent to destroy Shadow, thinking he was a threat. He was in a capsule and Maria was shot while letting the capsule fall to Earth. She saved him by sacrificing herself."

"Shut up…" Shadow growled instantly. "I don't want to talk about her…"

Amy sat down with Sarah, scooting away from Shadow. "But…you're immortal…"

Shadow looked at his ungloved hands. "But I don't feel as powerful as I used to…I don't _feel _immortal."

Amy's eyebrows furrowed. "Shadow, you got _sick."_

The ebony hedgehog stood up and caught Scourge's attention. "Rosy wasn't bipolar after coming through the time zone between Mobius and Earth, right?"

"Yeah," Scourge gritted his teeth. "It…cured her, I guess."

"What if it took away his immortality?" Blaze suggested. "Shadow shouldn't have been able to get sick if he was immortal."

"I never got sick before," Shadow shook his head. "The strip between Mobius and Earth must've done something to my immortality to allow my body to become susceptible to sickness."

"A few Mobians had some things similar happen to them," Fiona stated.

They all had eyes on her. Fiona shrugged. "You didn't see the papers? Some kid who was paralyzed back in Mobius passed through the space between the two planets and was able to walk again. It was weird. Other Mobians were cured of sicknesses and things similar to the kid and Rosy. There were multiple things. Shadow only went to Mobius once, remember? To help get everyone out. That or he was on Earth or in space. When he came back from Mobius—that must've been when his immortality changed."

Tails shook his head. "I can run some tests and see, Shadow."

The ebony hedgehog turned to him. "You can do that?"

"Yeah."

Shadow paused before nodding. "Good."

"But it's immortality!" Mike whined. "I'd want to be immortal!"

"Then you can have it!" Shadow growled, making everyone jump. "I've spent too long knowing I wasn't ever going to die. I lost Maria—my best friend. I watched her _die _in front of my eyes. I watched her be murdered. I may not know what happens after death, but there can still be hope now that I might be able to see her once more."

"What was she like?" Belle whispered, leaning forward.

Shadow winced before calming down. "She was human. She was…like a sister in my eyes. When I was created, I was created to…somewhat help her sickness that had no cure. She had always wanted to see Earth…but she never did. She took care of me—though I looked exactly as I had before."

"No," Sarah shook her head. "I've seen photos of you with the gang back then. You look older now. More…in your twenties. It might just be me, but I think time is catching up with you."

Shadow snorted. "Hopefully it doesn't mean my life will be cut short instead of long…"

Amy made out a cry. "Tails, you have to figure something out!"

"I will, Amy," Tails spoke out. "You can bet on it," he promised.

* * *

"Well, despite the whole immortality scare," Rouge muttered to Shadow as they stood in line for drinks at the "bar". "What do you think happened to Omega?"

Shadow shrugged. "I don't know, Rouge…We all separated and I never kept in touch with any of you."

"And somehow Sonic found you," Rouge grinned softly. "I just wonder if he's all right. I mean, he was a strong robot…but…I just hope he wasn't shipped off to help with the army or something. You know, just let him live…"

"I haven't seen a robot around here that is like Omega," Shadow stated. "No robots that just "live", as you've said."

"God, that whole Maria and ARK thing brought you back," Rouge sneered. "Maybe I need to go get Amy."

Shadow sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I completely forgot about my immortality when Rose arrived. I'm afraid…if I'm still immortal…I can't be with her."

"What do you mean?"

Shadow stared at the counter frightfully—looking very worried for once in his life. "Rouge…I've just grown attached to her…If I'm immortal, I don't think I can handle the pain of seeing her die and living years after."

"Oh, God," Rouge mumbled, "Especially if you guys had kids or something."

Shadow perked up at the mention of kids. He turned to Rouge. "You see us getting married and having kids?"

Rouge reached for her two beers—one for her and one for Knuckles. She scoffed. "Hell yes. You two are like the power couple for our group. You have to stay together."

"How are we the power couple?" Shadow snorted.

"Sarah and Sonic argue more than love each other—I mean, when they do love each other, they're just having sex," Rouge laughed while Shadow chuckled. "Tails and Cream are the youngest and more of the inexperienced in the relationship. Blaze and Silver are like those two odd ones that just mesh, but you see them as more of the followers than the leaders. Flame may be a rebel and a leader at times, but Sonia holds him back since she's used to following. Scourge, though he would probably lead, has a daughter to tend to and Fiona just walked into his life. Knuckles and I have the twins to worry about—we can't be the group's rock in times of trouble. You are that strong and silent type with the changing personalities. Amy's that optimistic chick who has you under her thumb—don't deny it. You guys are polar opposites and you attract to each other," Rouge finished. "You are our rock."

With that, Shadow was left to get his drinks and Rouge was hurrying off back to the stands for the sixth race.

~~~.~~~

"I can't believe they don't have any long races today," Sarah muttered as she now sat beside Amy to comfort the pink hedgehog whenever she started to worry again.

"I can't believe I didn't remember he was immortal…"

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Amy, stop with the drama. You're fine. We'll think of something to get through this."

"You sound so sure, Mrs. I'm-Scared-To-Have-A-Baby."

Sarah fought back the urge to flip her off. Instead, she glared at her and scoffed. "Fine," she turned to the program again. "You get over Shadow's problem and I'll get over my problem."

"Shadow's problem is my problem, too. If he's immortal, we can't be together because that'll just cause more pain for him—especially in the far future," Amy rambled. "Your problem is yours and Sonic's. Sonic wants a baby but you're too damn scared to have one for some stupid reason."

"Excuse me, Ms. PMS," Sarah snorted.

Amy whacked her shoulder. "I'm serious!" she hissed in Sarah's ear. "I'm concerned for Shadow. At least I care for my guy."

Oh, that did it.

Sarah closed her program. "I don't care about Sonic?"

"Well, you certainly aren't caring for his needs," Amy whispered harshly.

"Caring for his needs?! You're sick!" Sarah scrunched up her nose. "I'm not about to throw myself at him and say 'Okay, impregnate me and have it done with so you can be happy.' No!" Sarah austerely hissed back. "I want to be happy too, damn it. I'm trying to solve a way around this and compromise for both of us—I just haven't figured it out yet."

"Well, you might want to figure it out, soon," Amy snorted. "You're overthinking this."

"Overthinking?" She sounded just like Lewis to Sarah.

"_Yes. _I would love to have a child in the future. Why are you so against it, for real? What's so wrong with a baby?"

"I've told you! They're brats!"

"You didn't tell me that!" Amy hissed in their whispering argument. "You just told me you found them annoying and that you couldn't take the responsibility!"

"I'm scared of being a mother, okay?" Sarah confessed and Amy's eyes turned soft. "I'm afraid I'll screw up. I know _nothing _about taking care of a child, okay, Amy? _Nothing. _I don't want Sonic to be the best father in the world while he's married to the worst mother in the world. I'm not ready because I'm literally just _not ready_. I don't know where to start with a baby."

Amy stared at this female in front of her, "Sarah…Why didn't you just tell him that?"

"He understood that I thought it was too soon, that was good enough for me. I just need to think about it for a while," Sarah muttered and stared at the horses now running the 400 yards.

The crowd cheered and Amy sighed. It seemed to take an eternity for the horses to finish the race. Soon, the last race was about to start up and Sarah and Amy were still in silence.

The tension between the two had vanished, but neither knew what exactly to say.

"Well…" Amy sighed.

"Well, what?" Sarah shrugged and laughed halfheartedly. "I'm terrified."

"Then we just conquer your fear," Amy said like it was the simplest thing to do.

"How? Unless you have a baby somewhere near…" Sarah cut off as she followed Amy's gaze to Jeffery. "No…"

"I think Sonia would let you babysit him for a couple days by yourself. She'll understand the reason."

"No."

"Don't be a baby," Amy got up and started to walk to Sonia.

Sarah? Psh.

She passed out a long time ago.

* * *

_So, definitely some tension between the group still. I mean, I seem to write it lovey dovey to angry in the ten seconds flat, I swear. But, I just write how I'm feeling._

_Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sarah's confessed to Amy and Amy has a plan. Every freaking talk in this thing basically revolved around children somehow—I'm not even sure how I managed that. But okay. We'll just roll with it._

_**WARNING**__: Sarah gets, like, uber super dramatic (desperate and terrified, too) in the upcoming chapters. STOP! Hyperventilating time! :D_

_Knuckles might pop the question to Rouge. *wink wink nod nod*_

_Benjie still adores Ellie and Gina-Marie. Shadow might have immortality! YIKES! Tails will have a summer project on his hands now (though it's July and the summer's almost over with) to see if Shadow's still immortal. What do you think? Tails is still jealous of Omega for some weird reason—I don't even know why but hell, he's gotta be jealous of someone and Charmy ain't in the picture and the Omega thing just sorta…happened XD. _

_SOMETHING will happen between Blaze and Silver. I'm not sure yet… XP But it'll be something. Maybe something that will either break or make their relationship. Annnnnd Amy's lost it. Despite the plan for Sarah, she still has to deal with Shadow's possibility of still being immortal, though she's mentally crossing her fingers for it to be gone. _

_Yup, that's all for now folks!_

_**Next chapter's title: Dwelling on a Ticket **_

_DUN! DUN! DUN! _

_O.O This is what happens to me when I'm hyper and I need to go to bed… _

_Arrividerci!_


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